The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has urged an improvement in the country’s educational standards to tackle the increasing rate of out-of-school population.
In a statement released on Monday by its National Secretary, Achike Chude, to mark World Literacy Day, it was noted that despite various efforts made by different entities and institutions to raise the standard of education in the country, these efforts are insufficient.
“The new annual global education monitoring report by UNESCO indicates that 251 million are out of school (OOS), which is a mere reduction of one per cent since 2015. In Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, the indicators are dire. The report shows a clear connection between illiteracy and countries in extreme poverty. Similarly, a 2022 report by UNICEF revealed that one in three children in Nigeria is out of school. This means 10.2 million at the primary level and 8.1 million at the junior secondary school (JSS) level, while 12 million children never attended school and 5.9 million left school early,” the statement read.
The union further described as “outrageous and unsustainable” the country’s out-of-school population, which accounts for about 15 per cent of the global total, calling on governments and other institutions to brace up to the challenges.
